The San Francisco 49ers have been a part of a brotherly rivalry once already. When Jim Harbaugh was the head coach of the Niners, he coached against his brother, John, who was the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, twice.
In the two "Harbaugh Bowls", John and the Ravens went 2-0 against Jim. One of those games was in the 2011 regular season, and the other was in Super Bowl XLVII the following season, which we need not talk about.
In the first game of the 2025 season, 49ers fans were treated to another brotherly rivalry, this time between the Kubiak brothers, Klay and Klint.
Klay Kubiak is in his first season as the Niners' offensive coordinator, having been with the team since 2021 in various assistant roles.
Klint Kubiak, meanwhile, is in his first season as OC with the Seattle Seahawks, having spent time with numerous NFL teams in various assistant roles (including the 49ers) since 2013. He spent the 2024 season as the New Orleans Saints' offensive coordinator, his sole season with the team.
In the first "Kubiak Bowl," Klay had the upper hand throughout the game, resulting in a 17-13 San Francisco Week 1 victory over the Hawks. Other than two errant throws by quarterback Brock Purdy, in which he forced the ball into tight coverage, the 49ers offense played well in Klay's play-calling season debut.
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall had four receptions for 108 yards, including a big 45-yard reception that set up the go-ahead touchdown. Dual-threat running back Christian McCaffrey had 142 scrimmage yards, proving again to be a threat as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. The 49ers finished with 384 total yards of offense. They also were great on third down, going 7-of-14 on those attempts.
The biggest testament of Klay's efficiency as a play-caller was the 49ers dominating time of possession, 37:58 to 22:02 for the Seahawks.
Klint, on the other hand, struggled mightily in his debut. Other than some big chunk plays in the passing game, the Seahawks offense did not look great and only mustered 230 total yards of offense, which included 146 passing yards and 84 rushing yards.
Klay and the 49ers now lead in the "Kubiak Bowl" 1-0 over Klint and the Seahawks. Fans will get at least one more of this brotherly battle this season, and depending on how things shake out, this could become a twice yearly tradition.